JP7132567B2 - Side branch opening direction detector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a side branch opening direction detection device used to detect the opening direction of a side branch extending from the root canal of a tooth to the periodontal space.

Conventionally, as a device for detecting a side branch extending from a root canal of a tooth to a periodontal ligament space, a side branch detection device described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is known. The side branch detection devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include measurement electrodes inserted into the root canal, oral electrodes arranged on the intraoral surface, a power supply for applying a plurality of measurement signals to the measurement electrodes, a data processing unit that outputs display data indicating the presence or absence of side branches extending from the root canal to the periodontal ligament space based on measurement data detected between the electrode and the oral cavity electrode; and a display unit that displays the display data. , consists of The lateral canal detection device is a device that displays the presence or absence of a lateral canal on a display unit based on the transitional waveform of display data that changes as the measuring electrode is inserted into the root canal.

The measuring electrode used in the side branch detection device of Patent Document 1 uses a hand cutting tool such as a reamer or a file that is held by the operator's hand to cut the root canal of the tooth. The measurement electrode includes a conductive metal portion forming the measurement electrode, an insulating coating covering the conductive metal portion, an opening separating the insulating coating located near the tip of the conductive metal portion, and and a handle portion that is held by a person.

The side canal detection device of Patent Document 2 is a device capable of displaying the opening direction of the side canal. In the side branch detection device of Patent Document 2, when a measurement electrode made of a special reamer is inserted into the root canal of a tooth and the position of the opening of the measurement electrode is fixed in advance, data on the insertion position and the maximum current value and the minimum value, it is possible to determine the side branch direction.

In addition, the lateral canal detection device of Patent Document 2 uses a motor that rotates the measurement electrode so that the measurement electrode can be stably rotated and the maximum and minimum current values can be recorded.

Japanese Patent No. 5058713 Japanese Patent No. 6035390

However, the side branch detection device of Patent Document 1 uses a manual cutting tool consisting of a reamer or a file as a measuring electrode and is manually moved. There was a problem of low accuracy.
In addition, since the side branch detection device of Patent Document 1 manually rotates the measurement electrode, it is difficult to rotate 360 degrees from a predetermined position at a constant rotation speed and stop it, and the current value to be measured has an error. There was a problem that it appeared as

In addition, the lateral canal detection device of Patent Document 2 requires multiple peaks to be obtained and compared in order to measure the maximum and minimum values of the current value, so it is necessary to rotate the measurement electrode multiple times. There was a problem.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a side canal opening direction detection device that can easily detect the opening direction of a side canal with higher accuracy.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a side branch opening direction detection apparatus according to the present invention includes a side branch direction detection electrode for detecting the opening direction of a side branch formed in a root canal of a tooth to be inspected (tooth); A lateral canal opening direction detecting device comprising: a rotationally driving electric motor that rotationally drives a direction detecting electrode; and a holder that includes the rotationally driving electric motor and detachably holds the side branch direction detecting electrode, The side branch direction detection electrode includes a conductive metal forming the side branch direction detection electrode, an insulating film covering the conductive metal, and a side branch direction detection formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film. and a support portion formed on the proximal side of the side branch direction detection electrode, the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening is detected, and a constant When the detected value is stabilized within a predetermined range of fluctuation within a predetermined time, a measurement start switch for rotating the rotary driving electric motor to start detection of the opening direction of the side canal, or Automatic measurement starting means for automatically starting detection of the opening direction, and rotation stop for stopping the rotation of the rotation drive electric motor when the side branch direction detection electrode is rotated once by the rotation drive electric motor. It is characterized by comprising means .
Here, the indicated value means display data displayed on the display unit.

Further, in the side branch opening direction detection apparatus according to the present invention, the side branch direction detection electrode for detecting the opening direction of the side branch formed in the root canal of the tooth to be inspected (tooth) and the side branch direction detection electrode are detachable. a side canal opening direction detection device comprising a holder for holding the side canal direction detecting electrode, the side canal direction detecting electrode comprising: a conductive metal forming the side canal direction detecting electrode; and an insulating film covering the conductive metal. a side branch direction detection opening formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film; and a holding portion provided on the proximal end side of the side branch direction detection electrode, wherein the side branch opening direction The detection device detects a current value and/or an indicated value flowing through the opening for detecting the direction of the side branch, and detects the opening of the side branch when the detected value stabilizes within a predetermined fluctuation range within a predetermined time. A measurement start switch for starting direction detection, or an automatic measurement start means for automatically starting detection of the opening direction of the side branch , an apical position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the apex of the tooth to be inspected, and a side branch. a controller for comparing the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the opening for direction detection with the current value and/or the indicated value data at the position of the side canal opening actually measured and recorded in advance; and side branch direction detection. Reporting means for comparing the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the opening for use with the current value and/or indicated value data at the side branch opening position actually measured and recorded in advance and notifying when they match. and when the current value and/or indicated value flowing through the opening for detecting the direction of the side canal are compared with the current value and/or indicated value data at the side canal opening position actually measured and recorded in advance, and they match. measuring means for measuring a distance from the lateral canal to the stopper by bringing a stopper provided on the lateral canal direction detecting electrode into contact with the tooth to be inspected, wherein the opening of the lateral canal direction detecting electrode is inserted to approximately the lateral canal opening position in the root canal notified by the notifying means, and the lateral canal direction detection electrode is rotated once to measure the position and direction of the lateral canal .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a side canal opening direction detection device that can easily detect the opening direction of a side canal with higher accuracy.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the lateral branch opening direction detection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a diagram showing the lateral canal position detecting means, and is an enlarged schematic side view of the lateral canal position detecting means with the guide portion omitted. (a) is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a tooth having a side branch, (b) is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a side branch direction detection electrode, and (c) is an enlarged side view of the side branch direction detection electrode. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the notification means of the root canal length measuring device; FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring device connection means used in the lateral canal opening direction detection device. Fig. 4 is an enlarged schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of a holder of the side branch position detection means; (a) is an enlarged schematic bottom view showing an example of the cap of the side branch position detecting means, and (b) is an enlarged bottom view showing an example of the holder. (a) is an enlarged schematic plan view showing an example of the cap of the side branch position detecting means, and (b) is an enlarged schematic explanatory view showing an example of the internal structure of the holder. It is an electric circuit diagram of a side branch position detection means. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic bottom view showing an example of rotation stopping means arranged in the side branch position detecting means, (a) showing the OFF state, and (b) showing the ON state. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic explanatory view showing an example of an automatic delivery mechanism provided in the lateral canal position detecting means; 4 is a graph showing current measurement data obtained by supporting and rotating the lateral canal direction detection electrode at a position where the lateral canal exists in the root canal. Fig. 10 is a graph showing current measurement data from when the side branch direction detection electrode is inserted into a root canal having a side branch until the side branch direction detection electrode is removed from the root canal. 4 is a graph showing current values when the side branch direction detection electrode is rotated once at a position where a side branch exists in the root canal using measurement signals of 2 KHz and 500 Hz. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the side canal opening direction detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring device connection means used in the side canal opening direction detection device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first modification of the side canal opening direction detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an enlarged schematic side view of a manual side canal position detecting means, and (b) is an enlarged schematic side view of the side canal direction detecting electrode. Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic plan view of the detached manual side branch position detection means; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second modification of the side canal opening direction detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring device connection means used in the side canal opening direction detection device.

First, a side canal opening direction detecting device 1 and a side canal opening direction detecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. FIG.
In this embodiment, in the side branch opening direction detection device 1 shown in FIG. The downward direction will be described.

≪Side branch opening direction detection device≫
As shown in FIG. 1, the side branch opening direction detection device 1 is a device for detecting the opening direction of a side branch e extending from a root canal b of a tooth (tooth to be inspected a) to a periodontal ligament space h. The lateral canal opening direction detection device 1 includes a root canal length measuring device 4 with a lateral canal detecting function, which includes a power supply 7, a control unit 8, a display unit 41, and the like, and a lateral canal direction detecting electrode connected to the root canal length measuring device 4. 3, and measuring instrument connection means 6. As shown in FIG. The side branch opening direction detection device 1 detects the minimum value of the current flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a (see FIG. 2(a)), from the position of the opening 32a, from the root canal b to the periodontal ligament space. It is possible to automatically detect the position of the side branch e extending to h in the radial direction of the root canal axis.

<Root canal length measuring device>
The root canal length measuring instrument 4 measures the root canal length prior to the root canal treatment, detects the presence or absence of the side branch e, and determines the position of the side branch e when treating the root canal b of the tooth a to be inspected. and a measurement display device with a side branch detection function. The root canal length measuring device 4 includes a power source 7, a signal switching section 11, a matching section 12, an amplifying section 13, a converting section 14, a data processing section 15, a first storage section 16, and a second It comprises a storage unit 17 , a display unit 41 , a control unit 8 , and a measuring device connection means 6 (see FIG. 5) having a ground electrode 60 and a lead wire 9 . The root canal length measuring device 4 also functions as a notification means 40 for notifying the position of the opening 32a (see FIG. 2) for side branch direction detection. The root canal length measuring device 4 (informing means 40) is configured to detect the tip position of the branch direction detection electrode 3 inserted into the root canal b of the tooth a to be inspected and display it on the display unit 41. there is Further, the root canal length measuring device 4 is configured to notify by an icon of the notification means 40 when the opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 comes near the side branch e.

The power supply 7 shown in FIG. 1 outputs one or more measuring signals Pn of different frequencies. For example, the power supply 7 outputs measurement signals Pn with two frequencies of 500 Hz and 2 KHz. The power supply 7 is composed of a battery arranged in the root canal length measuring instrument 4 or a household power supply.
The signal switching section 11 selects or switches the measurement signal Pn of the frequency of 500 Hz or 2 KHz according to the instruction of the control section 8 and sequentially sends it to the matching section 12 .

The matching unit 12 converts the measurement signal Pn sent to the measuring electrode for detecting the apical position, the lateral canal position and the lateral canal direction (hereinafter referred to as the "side canal direction detecting electrode 3") into a voltage suitable for measurement and amplifies it. Send to Department 13. The matching unit 12 also converts the measurement signal Pn to be sent to the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into a safe voltage.
The amplifier 13 converts measurement data (measured current In) obtained from the electrode terminal 5 (oral electrode) placed on the gingiva d of the tooth a to be inspected into a converted voltage Vn and amplifies the voltage Vn.
The converter 14 converts the measured current In into a DC voltage Vdc.
The control unit 8 controls and processes each element of the side branch opening direction detection device 1 . The control unit 8 includes automatic measurement starting means 81, which will be described later. The control section 8 is electrically connected to the power supply 7 , the data processing section 15 and the display section 41 .

The display unit 41 displays the measurement result based on the DC voltage Vdc and/or emits a warning sound according to the instruction from the control unit 8 . The display unit 41 can selectively or collectively display the data output by the data processing unit 15 . The display of the display unit 41 will be further detailed later.

The data processing unit 15 creates display data to be transmitted to the display unit 41 with respect to the DC voltage Vdc. When a measurement signal Pn with a frequency of 500 Hz or 2 KHz is applied from the power supply 7 to the side branch direction detection electrode 3 (for example, a reamer), 2 signals of each frequency are applied from between the side branch direction detection electrode 3 and the electrode terminal 5. Two types of measurement data (In _500Hz and In _2KHz ) are measured. These two types of measurement data ( _In500Hz , _In2KHz ) are sequentially measured in the process of inserting the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into the root canal b toward the apex i.

The apex position detection mechanism 15a is a device that detects the position of the apex i. The electrode position detection mechanism 15b is a device that detects the position of the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3. As shown in FIG. The side branch and side branch position detection mechanism 15c is a device that detects the presence or absence of the side branch e and the position of the side branch e. The side branch direction detection mechanism 15d is a device that detects the opening direction of the side branch e. The data processing unit 15 can selectively switch between the detection mechanisms 15a to 15d. A switching mechanism may be provided in the data processing unit 15 to switch between these detection mechanisms 15a to 15d.

The first storage unit 16 shown in FIG. 1 stores a plurality of model tooth apical position measurement data groups and a plurality of model tooth position measurement data groups. Each model tooth apical position measurement data group includes a plurality of measured signals (measured signals) output from the electrode terminal 5 in a state where the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is placed at the apical position of each model tooth. current In, voltage Vn obtained by amplifying and converting the current In, or DC voltage Vdc obtained by converting the voltage Vn).

A plurality of model tooth position measurement data groups are a plurality of data output from the electrode terminals 5 in a state in which the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is arranged at each of a plurality of predetermined positions in the root canal b of each model tooth. and a set of indication values indicating the distance from the apical position to the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 . Each model tooth position measurement data group is different for each model tooth. Each model tooth position measurement data group is measurement data measured on each model tooth with apex i and no side branch e. A plurality of model tooth apical position measurement data groups and a plurality of model tooth position measurement data groups are stored in advance in the first storage unit 16 before detecting the side branch positions.

The second storage unit 17 stores a convex indicated value indicating the distance from the apical position to the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3, which changes as the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b. Stores a plurality of measured signals (In, Vn or Vdc) and readings when shown in the form.

≪Side branch direction detection electrode≫
As shown in FIG. 2, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 (reamer electrode) detects the side branch e formed in the root canal b of the tooth a to be inspected when detecting the side branch, measuring the length of the root canal, and detecting the direction of the side branch. It is a measurement electrode used to detect the opening direction of the . In addition, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 can also be used as a root canal cutting tool of a root canal enlarging device for enlarging the root canal b of the tooth a to be inspected. For this reason, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is formed in the shape of a drill called a reamer or a file. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the lateral canal direction detection electrode 3 includes a conductive metal 31, an insulating film 32, an opening 32a for lateral canal direction detection, a supporting portion 31a, and a stopper . and The side branch direction detection electrode 3 is a chuck that rotates in the same manner as the position detection electrode rotating gear 24 (see FIG. 8) that is rotationally driven by the rotary drive electric motor M1 (see FIG. 8) when enlarging the root canal b. It is attached to the part 20a (see FIG. 5) and rotated at high speed, and when detecting the root canal b and the side branch e, it is rotated at a low speed and driven at a constant speed.

The conductive metal 31 is the metal that forms the side branch direction detection electrode body. As shown in FIG. 7B, the metal contact portion 21d of the elastic lead wire 21b is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the conductive metal 31 at a position where it can be brought into contact with or separated from the metal contact portion 21d. A support portion 31 a is provided on the upper portion of the conductive metal 31 . The conductive metal 31 is made of stainless steel, cemented carbide, nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi), or the like. The conductive metal 31 is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a conductive metal.

As shown in FIG. 5, the support part 31a is a part for inserting and fixing the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into the chuck part 20a and electrically connecting it to the holder 20 side. The support portion 31 a is composed of a cylindrical special electrode portion integrally formed on the upper end portion (base end side) of the conductive metal 31 . A key groove-like groove 31b extending along the axis is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the support portion 31a. When the support portion 31a is mounted inside the chuck portion 20a, it is inserted into the shaft holes of the position detecting electrode rotating gear 24 and the cam portion 24b shown in FIG. It is attached by engaging the pin portion 20b with the groove 31b.

As shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c), the insulating film 32 is a thin film of an insulating insulating material that covers at least the surface of the conductive metal 31 that is inserted into the root canal b. The insulating film 32 is made of an insulating material having a cutting hardness capable of enlarging the root canal b. A part of the insulating film 32 is formed with an opening 32a for side branch direction detection. The insulating material consists of diamond-like carbon (DLC), ceramic coating, or the like. Specific examples of the insulating material include hard film PVD coating (physical vapor deposition) such as titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbonitride (TiCN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAIN), and chromium nitride (CrN). method) and titanium coating are preferred. Titanium nitride (TiN) is most suitable as an insulating material.

The opening 32a is a conductive portion for exposing a portion of the conductive metal 31 to conduct electricity. The opening 32a is, for example, a slit-shaped hole formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film 32 . The opening 32 a extends from a position near the distal end of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 to near the lower side of the stopper 34 . The conductive metal 31 can be electrically connected to the external environment of the insulating film 32 through its opening 32a.
The opening 32a configured in this manner has a narrow width and is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated vertically. Easy to match. The opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 may be arranged in any direction at the start of measurement. As an example, the case where the opening 32a is arranged to face the cheek side at the start of measurement will be described below.

By making the opening 32a formed in the insulating film 32 small, the opening direction of the lateral canal e can be detected with high sensitivity, but the opening 32a must be accurately aligned with the position of the lateral canal. If the opening 32a is a large opening, the detection sensitivity is lowered, but the accuracy with which the lateral canal direction detection electrode 3 is aligned with the lateral canal position can be lowered.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(c), the stopper 34 is a plate-like member for restricting the amount of insertion of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into the root canal b. The stopper 34 is movably fixed to the side branch direction detection electrode 3 at a position near the upper end.

<Measuring device connection means>
As shown in FIG. 5, the measuring device connection means 6 is an electrical connector for electrical connection attached to one end and the other end of each lead wire 9 . The measuring device connection means 6 comprises a ground electrode 60 , a connection plug 61 , connectors 62 and 63 , a branch connector 64 and a plug 65 in the side branch opening direction detection device 1 .

<Earth electrode>
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the ground electrode 60 includes an electrode terminal 5 and a connection clip 60a.
The electrode terminal 5 is an electrical connection terminal composed of a mouth corner clip or the like attached so as to be hung on the gingiva d. The electrode terminal 5 is not limited to being hung on the gingiva d, and may be shaped so that the subject can easily grip it. Therefore, the contact position of the electrode terminal 5 is not limited to the gingiva d on the intraoral surface, and may be any part of the subject's body. If the contact position of the electrode terminal 5 is set to other than the oral cavity, it is possible to ensure a wide treatment space in the oral cavity region.
The connection clip 60 a is made of a crocodile clip or the like that can be detachably connected to the electrode terminal 5 . The connection clip 60a may be omitted when the lead wire 94 is directly connected to the electrode terminal 5. FIG.

The connection plug 61 is an electrical connector having a male terminal to be connected to a female connector 63 . The female connector 62 is an electrical connector having a male terminal to be connected to the connection terminal 21 a of the holder 20 . The branch connector 64 is a distribution wiring connector for distributing the lead wire 91 to two lead wires 92 and 93 . The plug 65 is an electrical connector having a male terminal to be connected to a coupler (not shown) provided on the root canal length measuring instrument 4 .

<Lead wire>
The lead wire 9 is connected to the side branch position detection means 2, the side branch direction detection electrode 3, and the root canal length measurement device 4 in a separable manner by providing the measuring device connection means 6 in this manner. ing. The lead wire 9 is an electric wire for electrically connecting the lateral canal position detecting means 2 , the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3 , and the root canal length measuring device 4 . The lead wire 9 includes a lead wire 91 wired between the plug 65 and the branch connector 64 , a lead wire 92 wired between the branch connector 64 and the connection connector 62 , a branch connector 64 and the connection connector 63 . and a lead wire 93 wired between them, and a lead wire 94 wired between the connection plug 61 and the ground electrode 60 .

<<Side branch position detection means>>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side branch position detection means 2 is a device for detecting the position of the side branch e around the root axis from the current value obtained by rotating the side branch direction detection electrode 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the side branch position detection means 2 is mainly composed of a holder 20 and a cap 27 detachably attached to a handpiece head portion 26 on the distal end side of the holder 20 . As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 or FIG. 11, the side branch position detection means 2 includes a holder 20, an automatic extension mechanism 22, an automatic extension mechanism holding portion 23, a position detection electrode rotation gear 24, and an elevation gear. 25, rotation drive electric motor M1, elevation electric motor M2, measurement start switch SW1, rotation stop means SW2, elevation switch SW3, chuck portion 20a, cap 27, dry battery 71, electrode attachment/detachment. A holding member 28 and a contact knob 29 are provided. The side branch position detection means 2 is used by connecting to the root canal length measuring device 4 and attaching the side branch direction detection electrode 3 to the handpiece head portion 26 .

<Holder>
As shown in FIG. 8(b), the holder 20 is a holding member that includes a rotary drive electric motor M1 and detachably holds the side branch direction detection electrode 3. As shown in FIG. The holder 20 is made of insulating resin and forms the body of the handpiece (see FIG. 6). The holder 20 is formed with a grip portion 21 to be gripped by an operator or the like, and a handpiece head portion 26 to which a cap 27 is attached.

One connection terminal 21a is arranged in the grip portion 21 in a state of protruding toward the base end side. The connection terminal 21a is connected to the power supply 7 by one lead wire 92 via the matching section 12 and the signal switching section 11 shown in FIG. Therefore, the wiring structure of the side branch position detecting means 2 is simplified so that the wiring work of the lead wires 9 can be easily performed.
The shape, structure, etc. of the connection terminal 21a are not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 8(b), a dry battery 71 is provided in the grip portion 21 for driving the rotation drive electric motor M1 and the lifting electric motor M2 (see FIG. 11).

As shown in FIG. 6 , the handpiece head portion 26 is a substantially rectangular tube-shaped portion that is integrally formed with the front end portion of the grip portion 21 . Under the handpiece head portion 26, a chuck portion 20a to which the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is attached and detached, and a metal contact portion 21d of the elastic lead wire 21b (see FIG. 7(b)) are attached to the side branch direction detection electrode 3. A contact knob 29 is provided for connecting/disconnecting to the supporting portion 31a. Inside the handpiece head portion 26, it is preferable to dispose the automatic feeding mechanism 22 shown in FIG. Inside the handpiece head portion 26, there are provided a motor installation portion 26a on which an electric motor M2 for lifting and lowering is mounted, a bearing portion 26b for pivotally supporting a distal end portion of a female screw portion 25b of the lifting gear 25, and an electrode 3 for detecting the side branch direction. and a guide portion 26c that serves as a guide when inserting into the root canal b.

As shown in FIG. 6, the guide portion 26c is formed of a protrusion protruding downward substantially along the side branch direction detection electrode 3. As shown in FIG. The guide portion 26c is engaged with the inner side of the guide portion engagement groove 27f when the holder 20 is fitted into the cap 27, and is arranged in a state of protruding from the lower surface of the cap 27. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the handpiece head portion 26 can push the side branch direction detection electrode 3 vertically into the root canal b by abutting the lower end of the guide portion 26c against the upper portion of the tooth a to be inspected. Therefore, the height direction can be accurately detected, and the vertical deflection of the tip of the handpiece head portion 26 during detection can be eliminated and stabilized.

<Automatic delivery mechanism>
The automatic delivery mechanism 22 is a device for feeding the side branch direction detection electrode 3 attached to the side branch position detection means 2 into the root canal b, pulling it out, and rotating it at high speed or low speed. The automatic feeding mechanism 22 includes a position detecting electrode rotating gear 24, a rotation driving electric motor M1 for rotating the position detecting electrode rotating gear 24, an automatic feeding mechanism holding section 23 on which the automatic feeding mechanism 22 is mounted, and an automatic feeding mechanism. A lifting gear 25 for lifting and lowering the feeding mechanism holding portion 23 and an lifting electric motor M<b>2 for rotating the lifting gear 25 are provided.

<Electric motor for rotary drive>
The rotary drive electric motor M1 rotates the side branch direction detection electrode 3 at high speed to cut the tooth a during cutting of the tooth a to be inspected, and rotates the side branch direction detection electrode 3 when detecting the opening direction of the side branch e. It is a motor for rotating at a predetermined constant speed at a low speed. The rotary drive electric motor M1 includes a gearbox M1a that constitutes a gear reduction mechanism, and a rotor gear M1b that rotates by reducing the rotation of the rotary drive electric motor M1 by the gearbox M1a.

<Position detection electrode rotation gear>
As shown in FIG. 11, the position detection electrode rotating gear 24 is a gear that meshes with the rotor gear M1b to rotate the side branch direction detection electrode 3 at a reduced speed. The position detection electrode rotating gear 24 includes a toothed portion 24a that meshes with the rotor gear M1b, and a cam portion 24b that has a cam groove 24c (see FIG. 10B).
The toothed portion 24a is composed of a face gear or a bevel gear.
As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the cam portion 24b is made of a member having a cam groove 24c formed in the outer peripheral portion of a disc. The side branch direction detection electrode 3 is detachably attached to the shaft holes of the toothed portion 24a and the cam portion 24b.

<Automatic delivery mechanism holder>
As shown in FIG. 11, the automatic feeding mechanism holding portion 23 is a plate member on which the rotary driving electric motor M1 is mounted, and is arranged in the handpiece head portion 26 so as to be able to move up and down. The automatic feeding mechanism holding portion 23 is formed with a female screw portion that is screwed onto the male screw portion 25 b of the lifting gear 25 .

<Electric motor for lifting>
The elevating electric motor M2 is a motor for lowering and raising the side branch direction detection electrode 3 when cutting the tooth a to be inspected and detecting the side branch e. The lifting electric motor M2 has a rotor gear M2a. The lifting electric motor M2 is fixed to a motor mounting portion 26a formed on the inner bottom of the handpiece head portion 26. As shown in FIG. The lateral canal opening direction detecting device 1 is provided with the lifting electric motor M2, thereby constituting an automatic inserting device for automatically inserting the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3. As shown in FIG.
As a mechanism for measuring the position of the distal end of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 in the root canal b and driving/stopping the lifting electric motor M2 (automatic insertion device), the automatic insertion device has a side branch direction detection electrode. It is configured by incorporating a mechanism for detecting the distance to which the electrode 3 is automatically inserted from changes in the current value.

<Elevator gear>
The elevating gear 25 is a gear for moving the side branch direction detection electrode 3 downward and returning it upward by elevating the automatic delivery mechanism holding portion 23 . The lifting gear 25 includes a toothed portion 25a for decelerating the rotation of the rotor gear M2a, and a male threaded portion 25b screwed into a female threaded portion (not shown) of the automatic feeding mechanism holding portion 23.
The toothed portion 25a is composed of a face gear or a bevel gear and meshes with the rotor gear M2a. The male threaded portion 25b is screwed from the center of the lower surface of the lifting gear 25 to the female threaded portion (not shown) of the automatic feeding mechanism holding portion 23, and the tip of the male threaded portion 25b is formed in the handpiece head portion 26 in the form of a pobit bearing. and is supported by a shaft.

<Batteries>
The dry battery 71 is a power supply source for supplying electric power to the electric motor M1 for rotation driving and the electric motor M2 for lifting and lowering to rotate them. Note that the dry cell 71 may be omitted if power is supplied from the power source 7 provided in the notification means 40 to the rotation driving electric motor M1 and the lifting electric motor M2.

<Measurement start switch>
A measurement start switch SW1 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is a manual switch for starting measurement for starting detection of the opening direction of the side branch e (see FIG. 2). The measurement start switch SW1 detects the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a (see FIG. 2), and the detected value is stabilized within a preset constant fluctuation range within a predetermined time. At times, the electric motor M1 for rotary drive is driven to rotate to start the measurement of the side branch e (see FIG. 2).

<Means for starting automatic measurement>
The automatic measurement starting means 81 shown in FIG. 9 detects the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a, and the detected value stabilizes within a preset constant fluctuation range within a certain period of time. It is a device for automatically starting the detection of the opening direction of the side branch e by rotating the electric motor M1 for rotational driving (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic measurement starting means 81 is provided, for example, in the control section 8 of the root canal length measuring instrument 4, and sends a drive signal and a stop signal to the electric motor M1 for rotation drive (see FIG. 9). It is a motor control unit that feeds and rotates and stops.

<Rotation stop means>
The rotation stopping means SW2 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is a limit switch that automatically stops the rotation of the electric motor M1 for rotation when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is rotated once by the electric motor for rotation driving M1. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation stop means SW2 is connected in parallel to the measurement start switch SW1 and the automatic measurement start means 81. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the rotation stopping means SW2 includes a switch contact portion (not shown), a movable element SW2a, a movable spring SW2b, and a sliding portion SW2c.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), the rotation stopping means SW2 is turned OFF when the cam portion 24b is stopped, and as shown in FIG. It turns ON when it is rotating. For this reason, the rotation stopping means SW2 determines whether or not the side branch direction detection electrode 3 attached to the chuck portion 20a in a predetermined position with the opening 32a facing the buccal direction is in a predetermined position. It has the ability to detect

A switch contact portion (not shown) is composed of a fixed contact and a movable contact.
The movable element SW2a is a member that is arranged on the movable contact and, when lowered, brings the movable contact into contact with the fixed contact to turn it on. The mover SW2a projects from the switch case of the rotation stopping means SW2 so as to be vertically movable.
The movable spring SW2b is made of a plate spring member having a base end fixed to the switch case of the rotation stopping means SW2, a sliding part SW2c fixed to the tip, and a tip of the mover SW2a arranged in the center. The movable spring SW2b pushes down the movable element SW2a to turn it on when the sliding portion SW2c is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 24b, and when the sliding portion SW2c is engaged with the cam groove 24c, the movable spring SW2b is movable. The rotation stopping means SW2 is turned off by separating from the child SW2a.
The sliding portion SW2c is a sliding portion that makes sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 24b that rotates integrally with the position detecting electrode rotating gear 24 and the cam groove 24c.

<lifting switch>
The lift switch SW3 shown in FIG. 8 is a manual switch for forcibly rotating and reversing the lifting electric motor M2 (see FIG. 11) by turning it on to lift and lower the side branch direction detection electrode 3. is. The lift switch SW3 is installed on the holder 20 .

<Chuck part>
As shown in FIG. 6, the chuck portion 20a is a mounting portion for detachably attaching a support portion 31a formed on the upper end portion of the side branch direction detection electrode 3. As shown in FIG. The chuck portion 20a has a cylindrical structure slightly larger than the outer shape of the support portion 31a, and a vertically extending pin portion 20b protrudes from a portion of the cylindrical interior. The chuck portion 20a is configured such that the support portion 31a can be fixed or removed by attaching and detaching the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 provided at the upper end portion of the handpiece head portion 26. As shown in FIG.
Further, a groove 31b for receiving the pin portion 20b is formed on the outer periphery of the support portion 31a, and the rotational movement from the position detection electrode rotating gear 24 (see FIG. 8(b)) can be detected in the direction of the side branch by the concave-convex relationship between the two. can be transmitted to the electrode 3 for

<Cap>
As shown in FIG. 6, the cap 27 is a substantially cylindrical body with a bottom that is detachably attached so as to cover the distal end portion of the handpiece head portion 26 . The support part 31a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the lower part of the tip side of the cap 27, and the lower end part of the U-shaped electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 as viewed from the side is detachably attached. An electrode attachment/detachment portion 27a (see FIG. 7A), a holding member engagement groove 27b in which an engagement projection 28b formed at the lower end of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 engages, and a guide portion 26c are engaged. A guide portion engaging groove 27f consisting of a U-shaped groove is formed by notching. As shown in FIG. 7(a), on the upper side of the tip side of the cap 27, a holding member attachment/detachment groove 27d to which the upper end portion of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 and the engaging projection 28c are detachably attached, and an electrode attachment/detachment holding groove 27d. A locking groove 27e with which a locking projection 28d formed on the upper end of the member 28 engages is cut out.

<Electrode attachment/detachment holding member>
As shown in FIG. 6, the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 holds the cylindrical support portion 31a inserted into the chuck portion 20a from below, thereby suppressing the side branch direction detection electrode 3 from falling off from the chuck portion 20a. It is a member that holds the The electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 is made of a U-shaped metal plate member when viewed from the side. A lower end portion of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 protrudes in a substantially tongue-like shape toward the base end portion side, and has a notch groove 28a and a locking projection 28b. The upper end of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 has an engaging protrusion 28c and a locking protrusion 28d that protrude toward the proximal end side in a substantially tongue-like shape.

The notched groove 28a is a U-shaped groove sized to detachably engage with the conductive metal 31. As shown in FIG. The tongue-shaped portion having the cutout groove 28a is attached to the tip of the lower end of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 so as to sandwich the conductive metal 31 of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 (Fig. 7(a)). )), the tongue-shaped portion having the notch groove 28a is formed to support the lower surface of the support portion 31a from below and prevent the side branch direction detection electrode 3 from falling from the chuck portion 20a. .
The locking projection 28b is formed so as to protrude in the left-right direction (width direction) from the tongue-shaped portion having the notch groove 28a and is engaged with the holding member locking groove 27b.

The engaging protrusion 28c is a tongue-like protruding piece extending from the upper end of the electrode attachment/detachment holding member 28 toward the proximal end portion. The engaging protrusion 28c is detachably mounted in the holding member mounting/dismounting groove 27d.
The locking projection 28d is a projection that protrudes in the lateral direction (width direction) of the engaging projection 28c and is engaged with the holding member locking groove 27b.

<Contact knob>
As shown in FIG. 7(b), the contact knob 29 is fixed to the tip of the metal contact portion 21d and consists of a slide operation member that slides in the front-rear direction (in the direction of arrow m). When the cap 27 is attached to the handpiece head portion 26, the contact knob 29 is pressed by a contact knob pressing projection 27c protruding from the inner wall of the cap 27 to bring the metal contact portion 21d into contact with the support portion 31a. It is configured to allow Also, when the contact knob 29 is operated, the metal contact portion 21d comes into contact with the support portion 31a, which is a special contact, and turns ON.

<Display section>
As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 41 is a monitor that displays predetermined information such as the measurement result of the root canal length measuring device 4. As shown in FIG. The display unit 41 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. By observing the display on the display unit 41, the operator can accurately grasp the situation in which the opening 32a (see FIG. 2(a)) at the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is approaching the apical position. can be done. For example, when the operator inspects the tooth a to be inspected having the lateral canal e, the lateral canal e is displayed on the tooth to be inspected display part 42 by displaying "LC (Lateral Canal)" in the display part 46 of the display part 41 with the side canal e. You can check that it exists. The display unit 41 displays the measurement result based on the DC voltage Vdc and/or emits a warning sound according to instructions from the control unit 8 (see FIG. 1).
When the power supply 7 is ON, the display unit 41 displays, for example, a notification display unit 41a, a power supply mark 41b, an inspected tooth display unit 42, a root canal display unit 43, and a distance display scale unit 44. Further, when a side canal is detected, a horizontal stripe display section 45, a side canal presence display section 46 (LC), and a side canal height display section 47 are displayed.

The notification display portion 41 a is an icon indicating the notification means 40 .
The power supply mark 41b is an icon that indicates the operating state of the power supply 7. As shown in FIG.
The tooth to be inspected display portion 42 is an icon that schematically depicts the tooth to be inspected a to be inspected. A scale representing a distance display scale portion 44 for displaying the distance from the apical position is drawn on the tooth to be inspected display portion 42 .

The root canal display portion 43 is an icon that schematically displays the shape of a general root canal b. A horizontal stripe display portion 45 is drawn on the portion of the root canal b. As the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted toward the position of the apex i, the lowermost portion 45a of the horizontal striped display portion 45 descends to display the tip position of the side branch direction detection electrode 3. FIG. As an example, the display unit 41 shown in FIG. 4 displays a case where the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is positioned 3 mm before the apical position. Thus, the root canal length measuring device 4 has a mechanism for measuring the position of the distal end of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b.

The distance display scale 44 for indicating the distance from the position of the apex i is a scale for expressing the measured distance from the position of the apex i in units of millimeters (mm).
The horizontal stripe display section 45 is an icon that displays the distance of the measured root canal b from the measured position of the apex i at predetermined intervals.

The presence of side canal display portion 46 is an icon indicating that there is a side canal e. The presence of side branch display section 46 displays that there is a side branch e by, for example, the letters "LC".
The lateral canal height display portion 47 is an icon that schematically indicates the vertical length of the lateral canal e. The lateral canal height display unit 47 displays the height of the lateral canal e by means of circles (six in FIG. 4) on the right side of the display unit 41 . The lateral canal height display unit 47 can display the position of the lateral canal e by circle marks (six in FIG. 1) when the lateral canal e is 3 mm before the root apex.

The side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b, and the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted until the horizontal stripe display section 45 indicates a numerical value of 3.0. The tip of 3 can be placed in the side branch position.

For this reason, the operator rotates the side branch direction detection electrode 3 placed at the position of the side branch e at a low speed by the rotation drive electric motor M1, and the measurement current flowing between the side branch direction detection electrode 3 and the electrode terminal 5 is measured. The direction of the opening 32a when In becomes the largest can be confirmed as the direction of the side branch e.

Thus, the mechanism for measuring the position of the opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 in the root canal length measuring device 4 can measure and display not only the presence or absence of the side branch e but also the direction of the side branch e. configured to allow

The data processing unit 15 described above creates display data to be transmitted to the display unit 41 with respect to the DC voltage Vdc.
When a measurement signal Pn having a frequency of 500 Hz or 2 kHz is applied from the power supply 7 to the side branch direction detection electrode 3, two types of measurements are performed for each frequency from between the side branch direction detection electrode 3 and the electrode terminal 5. Data (In _{500 Hz} and In _{2 KHz} ) are measured. These two types of measurement data ( _In500Hz , _In2KHz ) are sequentially measured in the process of inserting the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into the root canal b toward the apical foramen c.

The waveform of the transition of the measurement data In obtained when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted from the opening end of the root canal b toward the apex i is shown in the case where the tooth to be inspected a has the side branch e and the case where the side branch e does not exist. It was confirmed that a characteristic change is shown in and. That is, the measurement data (In, Vn, Vdc) can be sent to the display section 41 of the root canal length measuring instrument 4 as display data indicating the presence or absence of the side branch e and displayed.

FIG. 12 shows data obtained by internally processing the values obtained in the experiment using the side branch opening direction detection device 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a graph showing measurement data of current with support and rotation; FIG. The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is the current value and the indicated value. The graph of FIG. 12 was acquired with a larger number of samples than the graphs of FIGS. 13 and 14 in order to improve accuracy.
If the insertion position of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 shown in FIG. position) is the position in the lateral canal direction. The rotation speed of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 rotated at a low speed by the electric motor M1 for rotation driving is substantially constant. Therefore, the rotation angle of the opening 32a can be calculated by comparing the length (horizontal axis) of the entire graph in FIG. 12 with the length from the start to the side branch direction position data.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing measurement data of actual current values from when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b where the side branch e exists until the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is removed from the root canal b. . The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is the current value and the indicated value.
In FIG. 13, between 1 to 6 on the horizontal axis is data when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted. Between 6 and 32 on the horizontal axis is the stability period of the side branch direction detection electrode 3, and the stability of the data that can be sufficiently used for measuring the opening direction of the side branch e is confirmed. Horizontal axes 32 to 53 are data obtained by one rotation of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 . Data after the horizontal axis 53 are data when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is removed.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing current values extracted when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is rotated once at a position where a side branch exists in the root canal using measurement signals of 2 kHz and 500 Hz. The horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is the current value and the indicated value.
In FIG. 14, the position where the side branch e is shown is the position where the indicated value is the minimum and the current value is the maximum.

≪Action≫
Next, the operation of the side canal opening direction detecting device 1 and the side canal opening direction detecting method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. FIG.

When detecting the opening direction of the side branch e using the side branch opening direction detection device 1, first, as shown in FIGS. and install. Also, the electrode terminal 5 is brought into contact with a part of the subject's body. The electrode terminal 5 is connected to the root canal length measuring device 4 and the holder 20 via the measuring device connecting means 6 and the lead wire 9, as shown in FIG.

Next, a power switch (not shown) and a switch (not shown) of the root canal length measuring device 4 are operated to turn on the power source 7 and the root canal length measuring device 4 shown in FIG. As a result, the power supply 7 is turned on, and electricity can be supplied through the lead wire 9 and the measuring device connection means 6 so that the electrode terminal 5 side is grounded. Further, the root canal length can be measured from the insertion depth of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 inserted into the root canal b, and the side branch e can be detected from the insertion position of the opening 32a (see FIG. 2).

<First step>
In the first step, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 (reamer) shown in FIG. The detection electrode 3 is pulled out from the root canal b. At this time, if there is a side branch e, a warning is displayed by the side branch display section 46 of the display section 41 of the root canal length measuring instrument 4, and the approximate position of the side branch is indicated by the side branch height display section 47. . When there is no side canal e, there is no display by the side canal presence display section 46 and the side canal height display section 47 .
At the same time, data of current values and display values at 500 Hz and 2 KHz from when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b to when it is pulled out are recorded in the root canal length measuring device 4 . By calculating the ratio or difference data from the data of the current value and the display value, a curve peculiar to the side branch e as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 is calculated. It is recorded in the memory of the root canal length measuring device 4 .

<Second step>
In the second step 2, after the first step, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 shown in FIG. When the current value data of the side canal opening position actually measured and recorded are compared and match, the side canal presence display unit 46 of the notification means 40 notifies. At this time, the stopper 34 provided on the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is brought into contact with the tooth a to be examined, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is pulled out from the root canal b, and the distance from the side branch e to the stopper 34 is measured. .

<Third step>
In the third step, furthermore, in order to detect the direction of the side branch e (the position around the root axis), the opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is aligned with the buccal position, and the opening 32a 40 is inserted up to the side branch opening position in the root canal b, and the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is rotated once to measure the position and direction of the side branch e.

As described above, in the method for detecting the side branch opening direction using the side branch opening direction detection device 1, the position and direction of the side branch e is not measured at once, but divided into the first to third steps, and the current value is used to determine the side branch e. The opening direction of the side branch e can be accurately detected by sequentially detecting the presence, position, and opening direction of the branch e.

As shown in FIG. 1, the side branch opening direction detection method according to the embodiment of the present invention is a side branch opening direction detection method for detecting the opening direction of a side branch e using a side branch opening direction detection device 1. a first step of extracting the lateral branch direction detection electrode 3 from the root canal b after detecting the position of the root apex i while scraping the root canal b of the tooth a (tooth) to be inspected using the detection electrode 3; After step 1, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is reinserted into the root canal b, and the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a (see FIG. 2) are measured in advance. When the current value and/or the indicated value data of the side branch opening position recorded are compared and match, the notifying means 40 notifies, and at this time, the stopper 34 provided on the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is operated. A second step of bringing the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into contact with the tooth a (tooth) to be inspected, removing it from the root canal b, measuring the distance from the side branch e to the stopper 34, and opening the side branch direction detection electrode 3. a third step of inserting the portion 32a to approximately the side branch opening position in the root canal b notified by the notification means 40, and rotating the side branch direction detection electrode 3 once to measure the position and direction of the side branch e; .

Thus, in the side branch opening direction detection method of the present invention, in order to detect the position of the side branch e around the root axis, for example, the direction detection opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is aligned with the buccal position. Then, the annunciator 40 is inserted to a substantially side canal warning display position where the position of the side canal e is displayed, and the side canal direction detecting electrode 3 is rotated once. The opening direction of the side canal e can be detected with higher accuracy by detecting the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side canal direction detection opening 32a.
When the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b and the side branch e is detected, the notification means 40 indicates the position of the side branch direction detection opening 32a (the position of the side branch e in the root canal axial radial direction). ) can be notified to the operator by display, sound, voice, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, a side branch opening direction detection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for detecting the opening direction of a side branch e formed in a root canal b of a tooth a (tooth) to be inspected. Equipped with a lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3, a rotationally driving electric motor M1 (see FIGS. 8B and 9) for rotationally driving the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3, and the rotationally driving electric motor M1 for lateral canal direction detection. a holder 20 for detachably holding a lateral canal direction detecting device 1, wherein the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3 comprises a conductive metal 31 forming the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3; An insulating film 32 covering the conductive metal 31, an opening 32a for side branch direction detection formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film 32, and formed on the proximal side of the side branch direction detection electrode 3. When the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the lateral canal direction detection opening 32a is detected, and the detected value stabilizes within a preset constant fluctuation range within a certain period of time. Then, the rotation drive electric motor M1 is rotated to start the detection of the opening direction of the side branch e, or the measurement start switch SW1 (see FIGS. 8B and 9), or to start the detection of the opening direction of the side branch e. An automatic measurement starting means 81 (see FIGS. 1 and 9) for automatically starting the measurement is provided.

As a result, the side canal opening direction detection device 1 has the opening 32a for detecting the side canal direction in a part of the insulating film 32 covering the conductive metal 31, so that the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the opening 32a can be detected. By detecting, the opening direction of the side branch e can be detected. When the side branch opening direction detection device 1 detects the current value and/or the indicated value, the measurement start switch SW1 (Fig. 8(b) and 9), or by turning on the automatic measurement starting means 81 and rotating the opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 by the rotation drive electric motor M1, the current value and/or The indicated value is detected. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the opening direction of the lateral canal e with higher accuracy than conventionally.

9, 10(a) and 10(b), the lateral canal opening direction detecting device 1 is configured such that when the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3 (see FIG. 1) rotates once by the rotation driving electric motor M1, Moreover, it is preferable to include a rotation stopping means SW2 for stopping the rotation of the rotation driving electric motor M1.
As a result, the rotation stopping means SW2 stops the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3 when the rotation driving electric motor M1 rotates and rotates the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3, thereby closing the opening 32a of the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3. , the root canal b is rotated once to detect the minimum value of the current flowing through the opening 32a. Therefore, the opening direction of the side branch e can be detected efficiently.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 8B, the side branch opening direction detector 1 detects the position of the side branch e around the root axis from the current value obtained by rotating the side branch direction detection electrode 3. It is preferable to have a lateral canal position detection means 2 for detecting.
As a result, the side branch position detection means 2 can automatically detect the position of the side branch e around the root axis from the current value by rotating the side branch direction detection electrode 3 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the side branch position detection means 2 includes an automatic feeding mechanism 22 that feeds the side branch direction detection electrode 3 attached to the side branch position detection means 2 into the root canal b (see FIG. 2). preferably.
As a result, the automatic feeding mechanism 22 can automatically feed into the root canal b (see FIG. 2) toward the apex, so that not only the opening direction of the side branch e but also the height direction can be detected. Work efficiency can be improved.

As described above, the lateral canal opening direction detection device 1 of the present invention detects the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the opening 32a for lateral canal direction detection, and detects a predetermined constant fluctuation in the detected value within a predetermined time. When it is stabilized within the range, the measurement start switch SW1 or the automatic measurement start means 81 is turned on to detect the opening direction of the side branch e. When the side branch direction detection electrode 3 rotates once by the rotation driving electric motor M1 to the measurement end position, the rotation of the rotation driving electric motor M1 is automatically stopped by the rotation stopping means SW2. Therefore, the side canal opening direction detection device 1 can easily detect the side canal e with higher accuracy than the conventional one.

[First modification]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its technical ideas, and the present invention does not extend to these modified and changed inventions. Of course. It should be noted that the same reference numerals are given to the configurations already explained, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a first modification of the side canal opening direction detection device 1A according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a measuring device connecting means used in the side canal opening direction detection device 1A. be. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing a first modification of the lateral canal opening direction detecting device 1A according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is an enlarged schematic side view of the manual side canal position detecting means 2A, and (b) is Fig. 4 is an enlarged schematic plan view of the manual side canal position detecting means 2A with the side canal direction detecting electrode 3A removed.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16(a) and (b), the side branch opening direction detection device 1A according to the present invention may be a manual device in which the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is manually driven to rotate. .
As shown in FIG. 16(a) or (b), the holder 20A (canal instrument holder) is used for locking the branch direction detection electrode 3A inserted into the root canal b of the tooth a in dental diagnosis. (See FIGS. 1 and 2). The holder 20A includes an insulating tube 21A extending in one direction and having an outer diameter that tapers toward its tip, and a contactor 22A having a conductor hook 22Aa at its tip.

The contactor 22A is inserted into the insulating tube 21A while leaving the conductor hook 22Aa outside the tip opening 21Aa formed in the tip surface of the insulating tube 21A. The conductor hook 22Aa is narrowed so as to pass only the contactor 22A. The holder 20A further includes an operation portion 23A for pressing the rear end of the contactor 22A so as to project the conductor hook 22Aa from the tip opening 21Aa of the insulating tube 21A.

Like the insulating tube 21A, the operating portion 23A includes a cylindrical support 24A and an operating cap 25A made of a material such as plastic. The support 24A has an outer diameter larger than that of the insulating tube 21A and is formed integrally with the insulating tube 21A so as to be open at the rear end side opposite to the insulating tube 21A. The operation cap 25A has an opening on the side of the support 24A and can be partially accommodated in the support 24A.

The contactor 22A is accommodated inside the insulating tube 21A and the operating portion 23A. The contact 22A is formed by punching out one sheet of metal plate, and its tip is bent into a semicircular shape as a conductor hook 22Aa.

A hook guard 21Ab is formed at the tip of the insulating tube 21A so as to cover the side surface of the conductor hook 22Aa. A stepped portion 22Ab is provided near the center of the conductor hook 22Aa. A biasing member 26A for biasing the contactor 22A toward the rear end is provided between the tip opening 21Aa of the insulating tube 21A and the step 22Ab. The biasing member 26A, which is a spring member, is contracted by the operating portion 23A, and then extends so as to pull back the conductor hook 22Aa and lock the side branch direction detection electrode 3A to the tip opening 21Aa.

As shown in FIG. 16(a) or (b), the rear end of the contactor 22A is formed in a fork shape branched into three branches 22Ac, 22Ad and 22Ae. Two of the three branches 22Ac, 22Ad, 22Ae on both sides (branch 22Ac, 22Ae) are passed through a pair of grooves (not shown) formed facing the inner wall of the operation cap 25A. A central branch 22Ad is used to connect a lead wire 27A, which is an insulated conductor. The conductor of the lead wire 27A is soldered to the center branch 22Ad of the contactor 22A.

The operation cap 25A includes three protrusions (not shown) formed on the outer wall, and the branch 22Ac side of the contactor 22A (that is, the upper end side of the operation portion 23A in a state where the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is locked). position) has a lead outlet 25Aa. The three protrusions (not shown) are slidably arranged along three grooves (not shown) formed on the inner wall of the support 24A. The lead wire 27A is pulled out to the outside through the lead outlet 25Aa. The lead wire 27A is connected to the root canal length measuring device 4 via the lead wire 9, as in the above embodiment (see FIG. 15).

The length of the holder 20A (that is, the total length of the insulating tube 21A and the operating portion 23A when the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is engaged) is set within a range of 35 mm to 55 mm, for example. In addition, for example, three convex portions 24Aa may be formed on the support 24A as locking portions for fitting additional attachments for supporting the operation portion 23A. The lead outlet 25Aa may be arranged on the side of the branch 22Ad of the contactor 22A (that is, on the lower end side of the operation portion 23A when the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is engaged).

In addition, the holder 20A detects the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a, and when the detected value stabilizes within a preset constant fluctuation range within a certain period of time, At least one of a measurement start switch SW1A for starting detection of the opening direction of the side branch e and an automatic measurement starting means SW2A for automatically starting detection of the opening direction of the side branch e is provided. The measurement start switch SW1A and the automatic measurement start means SW2A are, for example, push switches provided on the insulating tube 21A.

A procedure for locking the side branch direction detection electrode 3A with the holder 20A will be described with reference to FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b).
When the operation cap 25A is pushed, the spring of the biasing member 26A surrounding the contactor 22A within the insulating tube 21A is compressed, and the conductor hook 22Aa of the contactor 22A moves toward the tip of the insulating tube 21A as shown in FIG. 16(a). It protrudes forward away from the opening 21Aa.

In this state, the side branch direction detection electrode 3A for detecting the apical position, side branch position and side branch direction shown in FIG. When stopped, the spring of the biasing member 26A stretches back to its original position. As a result, the conductor hook 22Aa is pulled back to lock the side branch direction detection electrode 3A to the tip opening 21Aa.

When detecting the measurement position, the holder 33A of the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is inserted between the thumb and the index finger, inserted into the root canal, and rotated. At this time, since the length of the holder 20A (that is, the total length of the insulating tube 21A and the operating portion 23A in a state where the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is locked) is set within a range of 35 mm to 55 mm, almost , the holder 20A can be wrapped inside the palm.

In this application, 10 subjects (4 males, 6 females) attached a reamer (side branch direction detection electrode 3A) to a conventional holder, held the reamer grip with the thumb and forefinger, and the length of the holder was such that the reamer could be easily turned. was obtained for each subject. From the results of this experiment, it was determined that the range of minimum 35 mm to maximum 55 mm is a length that is easy to operate.

With the holder 20A of the first modified example of the present invention, it can be easily fixed at a specific position on the inner side of the operator's palm, and the holding portion 33A of the side branch direction detection electrode 3A can be held by the operator's thumb and forefinger. When one rotation is performed, the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is manually rotated with the same load, and the opening direction of the side branch e can be detected by the root canal length measuring device 4 with a side branch detection function.

In the case of the first modification, the side branch direction detection electrode 3A for detecting the opening direction of the side branch e formed in the root canal b of the tooth a (tooth) to be inspected and the side branch direction detection electrode 3A are attached and detached. and a holder 20A for holding the lateral canal opening direction detection device 1A. , an opening 32a for detecting the lateral canal direction formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film 32, and a holding portion 33A provided on the proximal side of the electrode 3A for detecting the lateral canal direction. and detecting the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the side branch direction detection opening 32a, and when the detected value stabilizes within a predetermined constant fluctuation range within a certain period of time, the side branch e It is equipped with a measurement start switch SW1A for starting detection of the opening direction, or an automatic measurement start means 81 for automatically starting detection of the opening direction of the side branch e (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

As a result, even if the side branch opening direction detection device 1A is of a manual type in which the side branch direction detection electrode 3A is gripped and rotated by hand, the current value and/or the indicated value flowing through the opening 32a remains constant for a certain period of time. When it stabilizes within a certain range of fluctuation, the measurement start switch SW1A or the automatic measurement start means 81 is turned on to start detecting the opening direction of the side branch e, so that the detection of the opening direction of the side branch e can be easily performed with higher accuracy than before. A side branch e can be detected.

As shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the side branch position is used to detect the position of the side branch e around the root axis from the current value obtained by manually rotating the side branch direction detection electrode 3A. It is preferable to have the detection means 2A.
As a result, even if the side branch position detection means 2A of the side branch opening direction detection device 1A is a device that manually rotates the side branch direction detection electrode 3A, the side branch e position around the root axis of the tooth.

Further, the lateral canal position detecting means 2A preferably includes a contactor 22A made of an elastic member that supports a supporting portion 31Aa provided on the upper portion of the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3A.
As a result, the lateral canal position detecting means 2A can rotate (rotate) the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3A in a state in which the supporting portion 31Aa of the lateral canal direction detecting electrode 3A is elastically supported by the contactor 22A. Therefore, the contactor 22A can absorb vertical movement, backlash, and inclination of the side branch direction detection electrode 3A and maintain an electrical connection while elastically supporting it.

[Second modification]
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a second modification of the side canal opening direction detection device 1B according to the embodiment of the present invention, and schematically shows an example of measuring device connection means 21Ba and 21Bb used in the side canal opening direction detection device 1B. It is an explanatory diagram.

As shown in FIG. 5, the side branch position detection means 2 of the above embodiment has one connection terminal 21a, and a connection connector 62 is connected to the connection terminal 21a to detect the root canal via a branch connector 64 and a plug 65. It is not limited to what is connected to the length measuring device 4 .

As shown in FIG. 17, the side branch position detecting means 2B includes a pair of measuring device connecting means 21Ba and 21Bb connected to a root canal length measuring device 4 for measuring the length of the root canal b (see FIG. 2). preferably.
As a result, the holder 20B of the side branch position detecting means 2B is provided with a pair of measuring device connecting means 21Ba and 21Bb, so that the connectors 62B and 63B are connected to the two measuring device connecting means 21Ba and 21Bb. By doing so, it is possible to connect to the root canal length measuring device 4 via the lead wire 9, the branch connector 64B, and the plug 65B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the side branch position detection means 2B preferably includes an earthing electrode 60B that is brought into contact with the oral cavity, the extraoral cavity, or the cheek.
As a result, the side branch position detecting means 2B is provided with the grounding electrode 60B, so that the wiring of the lead wire 9 can be simplified. Since the lead wire 9 connected to the side branch position detecting means 2B is provided with a plug 65B connected to the root canal length measuring device 4 in addition to the grounding electrode 60B, wiring of the lead wire 9 is performed. easy.

[Other Modifications]
<Modified example of stopper>
1 and 2, in order to set the position of the stopper 34 of the side branch direction detection electrode 3, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 may be graduated, or the side branch direction detection electrode 3 may be scaled instead of the scale. The direction detection electrodes 3 may be color-coded.

<Modified example of data processing unit>
The data processing unit 15 of the root canal length measuring device 4 shown in FIG. 1 automatically moves the stopper 34 and sets the position of the stopper 34 of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 based on the detected side branch position. A mechanism may be provided.
Further, the data processing unit 15 automatically moves the side branch direction detection electrode 3 for detecting the side branch direction, inserts the side branch direction detection electrode 3 into the root canal b, and stops the stopper 34 above the tooth a to be inspected. An arrangement mechanism may be provided for arranging the side branch direction detection electrode 3 at the contact position.

<Modified example of side branch direction detection electrode>
Also, as an example of the side branch direction detection electrode 3, as shown in FIGS. A plurality of openings 32a may be provided as long as they can be electrically connected to the external environment of the insulating film 32 through the openings 32a. For example, a plurality of openings 32 a may be provided along the axial direction of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 .

Moreover, the shape of the opening 32a is not limited to a slit shape as long as it can be detected with high sensitivity, and may be changed as appropriate. The opening 32a may be, for example, a circle with a diameter of 0.5 mm to 1 mm, or a non-circular shape with a side size of 0.5 mm to 1 mm.
In addition, the tip of the side branch direction detection electrode needs to be insulated in order to obtain a plurality of measured current waveforms. 2mm to 5mm (more preferably 3mm) can be opened above the insulating coating. Moreover, after coating with the insulating film 32, the side branch direction detection electrode 3 can also use what cut off a part and formed the opening part 32a. Alternatively, the insulating film 32 may be formed by oxidizing the surface of the conductive metal 31 to form an oxide film.

In addition, the opening 32a has a flat outer surface without irregularities, so that when the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is inserted into the root canal b and rotated, the opening 32a will be close to the inner wall of the root canal b. can be made difficult to hook into.

<Modified Example of Rotation Stopping Means>
Further, in the above-described embodiment, whether or not the opening 32a of the side branch direction detection electrode 3 is at a predetermined position can be detected by the rotation stopping means SW2. The position of the portion 32a may be made automatically recognizable. For example, the opening position detection means includes a detected portion provided on the side branch direction detection electrode 3 and a detection portion provided on the side of the handpiece head portion 26 for detecting the detected portion. may be

Further, to give a specific example of the opening position detection means, when the detected part is a magnet, the detection part may be a Hall element capable of detecting the magnetism of the magnet.
Further, when the detected part is a light-emitting element, the detection part may be a light-receiving element such as a photodiode that receives light from a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode and detects the light.
Moreover, when the detected part is a light-emitting element, the detection part may be a light detection part such as an optical sensor or a light reflection sensor.
Further, when the detected part is a marker, the detection part may be a camera that detects the presence or absence of the marker.
Further, when the detected part is a colored marker, the detection part may be a color detector for detecting the color of the marker.

<Modified example of root canal length measuring instrument>
As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4, the root canal length measuring instrument 4 brings the stopper 34 into contact with the tooth a to be inspected, pulls out the side branch direction detection electrode 3 from the root canal b, and extends from the side branch e to the stopper 34. When measuring the distance of the root canal length measuring instrument 4, the scale provided on the display unit 41 of the root canal length measuring device 4 is compared with the scale displayed on the display unit 41. A means for automatically reading the length may be provided in the root canal length measuring instrument 4 for measurement.

1, 1A, 1B lateral canal opening direction detector 2, 2A, 2B lateral canal position detecting means 3, 3A side canal direction detecting electrode 8 control section 20, 20A, 20B holder 21Ba, 21Bb measuring device connecting means 22 automatic feeding mechanism 22A contactor 31 conductive metal 31a, 31Aa supporting portion 32 insulating film 32a opening 33A holding portion 34 stopper 40 reporting means 60, 60B grounding electrode 81 automatic measurement starting means a tooth to be inspected (tooth)
b root canal e side branch i apex M1 rotation drive electric motor SW1, SW1A measurement start switch SW2, SW2A rotation stop means

Claims (8)

a side branch direction detection electrode for detecting the opening direction of the side branch formed in the root canal of the tooth to be inspected;
a rotational drive electric motor that rotationally drives the side branch direction detection electrode;
A lateral canal opening direction detection device comprising: a holder that includes the rotary driving electric motor and detachably holds the side canal direction detecting electrode,
The side branch direction detection electrode includes a conductive metal forming the side branch direction detection electrode;
an insulating film covering the conductive metal;
an opening for side canal direction detection formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film;
a support portion formed on the proximal end side of the side branch direction detection electrode;
with
A current value and/or an indicated value flowing through the opening for side branch direction detection is detected, and when the detected value stabilizes within a predetermined fluctuation range within a predetermined time, the electric motor for rotation drive is rotated. A measurement start switch that is driven to start detection of the direction of opening of the side canal, or an automatic measurement start means that automatically starts detection of the direction of opening of the side canal ,
A lateral canal opening direction detection device , comprising rotation stopping means for stopping rotation of the rotationally driving electric motor when the side branch direction detecting electrode is rotated once by the rotationally driving electric motor . a side branch direction detection electrode for detecting the opening direction of the side branch formed in the root canal of the tooth to be inspected;
A side canal opening direction detection device comprising: a holder detachably holding the side canal direction detection electrode,
The side branch direction detection electrode includes a conductive metal forming the side branch direction detection electrode;
an insulating film covering the conductive metal;
an opening for side canal direction detection formed by peeling off a part of the insulating film;
a holding portion provided on the proximal end side of the side branch direction detection electrode;
with
The side branch opening direction detection device includes:
A current value and/or an indication value flowing through the opening for side branch direction detection is detected, and when the detected value stabilizes within a predetermined fluctuation range within a predetermined time, the opening direction of the side branch is detected. a measurement start switch to start, or an automatic measurement start means to automatically start detection of the opening direction of the side branch ;
an apical position detection mechanism for detecting the position of the apex of the tooth to be inspected;
a control unit that compares the current value and/or indicated value flowing through the opening for side canal direction detection with the current value and/or indicated value data at the side canal opening position actually measured and recorded in advance;
Notifies when the current value and/or indication value flowing through the opening for detecting the side canal direction is compared with the current value and/or indication value data of the side canal opening position actually measured and recorded in advance and agrees. a notification means to
When the current value and/or the indication value flowing through the opening for detecting the direction of the side canal are compared with the data of the current value and/or the indication value at the side canal opening position actually measured and recorded in advance and agree with each other, measuring means for contacting a stopper provided on the side branch direction detection electrode against the tooth to be inspected to measure the distance from the side branch to the stopper;
with
The opening of the side branch direction detection electrode is inserted to approximately the side branch opening position in the root canal notified by the notification means, and the side branch direction detection electrode is rotated once to measure the position and direction of the side branch. A lateral canal opening direction detection device characterized by: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising side branch position detecting means for detecting the position of the side branch around the root axis from a current value and/or an indicated value obtained by rotating the side branch direction detection electrode. Or the side branch opening direction detection apparatus of Claim 2 . 4. The side branch opening direction detection according to claim 3 , wherein the side branch position detecting means comprises a pair of measuring device connecting means connected to a root canal length measuring device for measuring the length of the root canal. Device. 5. The side branch opening direction detecting device according to claim 3 , wherein the side branch position detecting means includes an earthing electrode that is brought into contact with the oral cavity, the extra oral cavity, or the cheek. 4. The side branch opening direction detection according to claim 3 , wherein the side branch position detection means has an automatic delivery mechanism for feeding the side branch direction detection electrode attached to the side branch position detection means into the root canal. Device. 5. The side canal according to claim 3 , wherein the side canal position detecting means includes a contact made of an elastic member that supports a support provided on the upper side of the side canal direction detecting electrode. Opening direction detection device. The holder has
a guide portion protruding downward from the holder for abutting the lower end against the upper portion of the tooth to be inspected when the side branch direction detection electrode is inserted into the root canal;
an automatic feeding mechanism for feeding the side branch direction detection electrode into the root canal, pulling it out, and rotating it at high speed or low speed;
is provided
The side branch opening direction detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:

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